Witch Doctor: House Call
by GhettoGorgeousGangstaGirl
Summary: Dr Vincent Marrow is the top name in medicine when it comes to treating the terrifying symptoms of those afflicted by the demonic and supernatural but when he mistakes a non pathogenic creature for an emergent virus he discovers his medical field stretches much farther then this realm or that of the Archeon.


Market street was fairly empty today do to the rain and fruit wasn't so fresh but she didn't mind. They were in that weird space between summer and fall when the worlds didn't line up so well and nothing was quite in season. It wasn't a deal breaker it just meant shopping would take a little longer while she dug around for fresher fruits.

Work had been slow the past few weeks. There had been no paperwork and no major crisis, at least not that fell into her jurisdiction. As a result she had been enjoying some much needed 'me time' between the occasional problem posed by a the beings in her community. It wasn't exactly her job to help them with any little problem they had, really her only job was to make sure they didn't cause any trouble and clean up what trouble they did cause. They looked to her for security during an often, confusing time for them. It seemed only natural that they would come to her for help in other areas too.

"Sarriph? Sarriph!" She looked up to see one of those very beings skittering towards her. The creature appeared to be a normal woman as long as no one looked to close or below her waist at which point they would see the seams at her joints in her chitinous shell that only resembled skin from afar and the four spindly legs of her thickly shelled insecticiod bottom half and the thick scorpion sting swinging behind her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, calmly examining a fruit that looks almost like an apple though the color didn't seem quite right, even though the woman seemed frantic.

"It's my larva." She answered, ringing her hands.

Sarriph sighed. "What has he gotten into now?" She was well acquainted with this 'Larva', though he hadn't been a soft shell-less worm for nearly a year. Ever since the little thing had sprouted legs he had been causing trouble everywhere he went.

"He's run off again and he doesn't have his glamour charm." She held up the necklace a small rectangular charm dangling from the chain, small runes intricately engraved in it around a glittering red gem embedded in the center. Both the woman and Sarriph wore a similar one around their own necks. "I-I've looked everywhere and I'm afraid if' he's gotten into town-"

"Calm down. Don't worry." Sarriph soothed, gently taking the glamour from her. "I'll find him. We can't have him scaring the natives." Or worse, starting some kind of monster hunt. She pushed her basket into the insects arms. "Wait at the office until I get back."

She had a feeling she already had an idea of where he'd gone. The was a place by the docks where the kids from the community tended to congregate. An old abandoned building that they liked to play in. The building was still more or less intact with all it's old furnishings and facilities so there were plenty of places to hide and crawl around in. At first she'd been worried that it would expose them but after a while she realized nonr of the natives went near it anymore and those who did were either considered too untrustworthy to be believed if the kids decided to have any fun with them or were looking for a thrill, which the kids would certainly give them. Really it was only a matter a time after coming into his shell that the little guy would want to see what all the excitement was about.

It didn't take long at all to find it it. The tell tale sign appeared in the distance, looming high above the dark building. Much of the letters were faded and the white paint on the actual sign post was chipped away in large chunks but the words "Arkham Bay Elementary" could still be read with little trouble. Sarriph had been here a few times before to find kids that had disappeared unannounced her hadn't returned well past curfew. About 7 times out of 10 this is where they've been. It was the closest they could get to being in town without their glamours without risk of putting themselves and the whole community in danger. No one hated those charms more then the kids.

She moved slowly around the building, making her way to the front entrance, which she was sure had been locked once upon a time but that was no longer true. Before entering the building she went to checked the windows and the area around the school in case he hadn't actually gone in.

It wasn't too lat yet, maybe about four in the afternoon but the combination of overcast weather and Arkham Oregon's natural bleakness didn't do much for visibility. It was much to dark to see even with her enhanced vision.

The door was heavily rusted and hard to move but not impossible. The deafening screech echoed through the long empty hall of the school and she cringed. Well if there's anyone or anything in here it certainly knows it's not alone. She sighed as she moved down the hall, whats done is done, any kids were either hide or become curious enough to investigate anything else... well she could more then defend herself.

"Er'ak?" She called, as loud as she dared. It's not that she expected something besides herself and a mischief maker but it wouldn't be completely unheard of to run into something hostile lumbering around in the darkness. "Er'ak!" Her attention snapped down a locker filled hall. The sound of claws skittering along hard linoleum echoed from passageway but with all the sound bouncing around it was impossible to tell which way it was coming from. The darkness wasn't helping either.

With a small sound of annoyance before an electric blue light filled the hall around her. The light didn't go as far as she liked bu at least now she didn't feel like she was going to trip over her own feet. Now where did that little bug go?

"That... Didn't take as long as I thought." Eric Gast admitted as they approached the hearse parked near the docks. They hadn't wanted to risk taking home and unwelcome guest like last time when when an imp managed to stow away in the back seat.

"Of course not." Dr. Vincent Marrow sighed. Really he'd have thought his assistance would be used to this by now. "I was just a routine demon extraction."

"Right." Eric rolled his eyes. "What about the one we've been working on for months."

The Doctor cast his assistant a sideways glance, wondering if he should even dignify that with a response."That. Is different. That one is a biblical case of immune failure. It's going to take more then-" He blinked and leaned back, peering around his assistant.

"What?" Eric asked, following the shorter man's gaze. Into the window of an abandoned building. He didn't see anything.

Dr. Marrow didn't answer, not that Gast was surprised. The Doctor moved around him to get a closer look through the window. He could have sworn he'd seen something. A light. Moving somewhere within and he wasn't confident it had been coming from a flashlight or any other man made source. As if the affirm his suspicions he watched a small shape, briefly illuminated as it shot by the hallway. "There's something in there." He finally answered, trying to get a better look inside.

"What like a rat?" It is an abandoned building after all. But Marrow didn't usually get excited over things like rats.

Marrow hummed. "Unless rats his figured out luminescence and sprouted scorpion tails I highly doubt it." Without waiting for and answer or even acknowledgment the Doctor strode to find an entrance.

"Oh no." Gast whined. "Are we really going in there? We don't know what's in there. It's probably just a bunch of kids anyway."

"Or!" Marrow responded, already way ahead of Eric. "Our next test subject!"

Eric sighed, he was getting the tone in his voice. There was no way he was getting out of this now, and he had really been looking forward to taking a shower. Dealing with demons always made him feel disgusting after wards.

Inside the old school was dark and quite and empty. "See. I told you there's nothing here. Lets go."

"Shh!" Dr Marrow held up a hand to silence his assistant. "Did you hear that?

"No."

"Listen." Then he heard it. Like many tiny claws scratching along the hard floor.

"Rats."

"Not rats." The Doctor insisted, sounding almost indignant.

_Yeah. Can't wait to see your face when it's rats._ Gast thought almost bitterly.


End file.
